It is the purpose of this paper to analyse the work of Fulgentius, The Fable of the Nine Muses according to The Ten Tenets of Liberal Humanism by Peter Barry. Keeping in mind that the word fable is defined as being a short story with a moral, let us now analyse the work. .
1. The first tenet speaks of "Timeless significance-. This pertains to "what is constant in human nature- (C.K. 103). The Fable of the Nine Muses by Fulgentius is partly of timeless significance. First he explains how sound is produces within the body, then he talks about the nine muses as ideas in the learning process. Although he speaks of Greek gods, who today are not widely believed, he does make a point in speaking of our process of learning. On the other hand he states that "speech is produced with the four teeth-(C.K. 47) this would have to be supported with some newly scientific explanation, as to how speech is actually believed to be produced. Furthermore, it is not clear whether the muses themselves represent ideas ex. "Clio, standing for the first conception of learning- (C.K. 47), or are they believed to take some physical form in Greek mythology because they have names. In my opinion, the distinction is not made clear enough and this could be interpreted both ways.
2. The second tenet speaks of the need of not placing the piece in one of three contexts (socio-political, literary-historical, autobiographical). Fulgentius' work cannot be neatly placed into only one of three of the categories. It, in fact, does not completely suit even one category. It would be my opinion then, that the Nine Muses fit the social context of the time, and also literary as he explains and defines the muses. This work is not political or historical, as it is a fable, and it surely is not autobiographical. .
3. The third tenet is looking at the text in isolation. In order to understand the text, one must study it in isolation or without context.
